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It is the responsibility of the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) to minimise the risk of drugs on the premises under the licensing objective of the Prevention of Crime & Disorder.
How to minimise the risk
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High standards of service and cleanliness are a powerful deterrent to drugs trade. As this shows you care about your venue and look after it and all who use it.
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Low standards indicate the “don’t care management style”. Dealers will not take any unnecessary risks; a high profile zero tolerance approach will deter them from using your premises.
If the police find evidence of drugs, you may be required to put the following measures in place.
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Removal of toilet seats.
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Apply baby oil or similar substance to all flat surfaces in the toilet area.
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Doors on toilet cubicles to be cut down so staff can easily see whether there is more than one customer per cubicle.
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More CCTV cameras-the police may ask for cameras to be sited in the toilets to cover the sink areas.
All your staff need to be aware of what signs to look for. It is especially important to include in your training any staff who undertake cleaning duties as they are likely to come across the evidence if there are drugs on the premises.
Signs of drug use: Materials
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Torn up beer mats/cigarette packet/bits of cardboard left on tables or in ashtrays.
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Foam stuffing from seats/foam left lying around.
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Roaches (Home made filter tips from cannabis cigarettes).
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Small packets made of folded paper, card or foil.
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Empty sweet wrappings left in toilets.
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Payment with tightly rolled bank notes, or notes that have been tightly rolled.
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Traces of blood or powder on bank notes.
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Traces of powder on toilet seats or other surfaces in toilets.
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Very clean surfaces in toilets.
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Syringes (Caution can carry infection do not touch).
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Spoons or burned tinfoil in toilets.
Signs of drug use: Physical symptoms
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Very dilated pupils.
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Excessive sniffing, dripping nose, watery red eyes.
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Sudden severe cold symptoms following a visit to the toilet/garden/car park.
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White marks/traces of powder round the nose.
Signs of drug use: Behaviour
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Excessive giggling, laughing at nothing, non-stop talking.
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Unnaturally dopy, vacant staring, sleepy euphoria.
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Non-stop movement, jiggling about.
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Excessive consumption of soft drinks.
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Sudden inexplicable tearfulness or fright.
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Any big alterations in behaviour following trips to the toilet, garden or car park areas.
Signs of drug dealing
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A person that stays a while and has a lot of friends that only stay for short periods.
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A person making frequent trips to the toilets, garden or car park followed by different people at the same time.
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A person seeming to hide in corners talking very quietly.
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Dealers are not identifiable by appearance they may look very respectable.
Monitoring
Frequent glass collections, emptying of ashtrays or wiping clean table provides good excuse for “surveillance”.
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